Merry Christmas! This is my gift to you
by Ethie-chan
Summary: Cagalli is running out of time to find the perfect Christmas gift for her red knight. With constant meetings and interruptions (and a certain blue-haired distraction), what's a representative to do?
1. Gift Ideas

**Part 1: Gift Ideas**

**December 18 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's room: 0730 H  
**  
Cagalli Yula Athha, chief representative of ORB, awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window. She groaned lightly as she slowly opened her eyes. She glanced at her blue-haired fiancé sleeping next to her and smiled.

_"Sleeping peacefully as ever I see." _She thought to herself and laughed quietly.

She lay in bed a few minutes longer and stared at the ceiling of her room. It has been tough on the young representative ever since the second war ended. Her life was full of meetings and endless paperwork. But lately, things have become a lot easier. Maybe Cagalli was slowly getting used to this busy life of hers or maybe she's had a little help over the last few months. Cagalli got out of bed quietly and looked at the sleeping Athrun. She smiled warmly at him. It was thanks to him that ORB was easier to handle. Ever since the public proposal in front of some ORB parliament and military officials, both Athrun and her were able to see each other more often. They have been working together more frequently and together, have been ruling over ORB. It seems everyone in ORB was happy with the proposed union of a Natural and a Coordinator. Both Cagalli and Athrun never felt happier. She bent over and gave Athrun a quick peck on the cheek before stepping out on her balcony.

Cagalli opened the doors to her balcony and was immediately welcomed with a bitterly cold, but refreshing breeze. It was winter in ORB and the entire Athha estate, as well as the nation itself, was covered in snow. She loved the scenery right now. It felt so serene and peaceful to her. Even though the cold winter breeze wasn't her favorite part of winter, it still felt refreshing to her. She jumped suddenly when she felt a blanket being draped over her shoulders and a pair of arms encircling around her. She turned around and met a pair of emerald green eyes. She smiled at the person standing behind her.

"You're up pretty early," Athrun said and he gave his princess a "good morning" kiss on her lips.

"Same to you," Cagalli replied after they broke their kiss.

Athrun laughed lightly and smiled.

"Well you and I both know that we have meetings to attend to in 2 hours," he said.

"Yeah, I know," Cagalli said and sighed, "just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet we have now."

Athrun laughed again. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

They stood on her balcony for a few more minutes and continued looking at the scene before them. Cagalli shivered and sneezed. Athrun looked down at her with concerned eyes and then came up with an idea.

"Come on, let's head back in and _warm each other up_," Athrun said huskily and winked.

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you think about things like that?"

Athrun blushed lightly and said, "I'm a guy, it's not my fault."

Cagalli laughed and then whispered hotly in his ear, "Well then big boy, show me what you got."

Athrun smirked and immediately picked her up bridal-style. He laid her gently on the bed and went to close the doors to her balcony. After that, he went back to her bed and pulled the covers over them. They spent the next hour in each other's company.

* * *

**December 18 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's office: 1200 H**

Cagalli read and re-read the government policies that were drafted during the meeting 2.5 hours ago. She signed her name on the document and sighed.

"That was pointless…these policies are exactly the same!" she muttered.

Her office phone suddenly rang and she pushed the speaker button.

"Lady Cagalli, I have a video call from a Ms. Lacus Clyne for you," a voice said, "shall I transfer it to you?"

_"Lacus…? Why is she calling me?"_ Cagalli thought and replied, "Yes, that's fine. Go ahead."

Cagalli waited for a short minute and then Lacus' face appeared on her video screen.

"Cagalli!" Lacus said happily, "I trust you are doing well?"

"I am fine," Cagalli simply replied, "same old, same old. What about you?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you for asking," Lacus replied politely, "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Cagalli asked, curiosity evident in her voice, "what's the occasion?"

Suddenly Kira appeared on the screen next to Lacus.

"Kira!" Cagalli exclaimed.

"Hey there little sis," Kira teased, "been keeping out of trouble?"

Cagalli raised her eyebrow, "Did you just call me ""little sis"?"

Kira laughed, "Still the same as ever. I'm glad ruling ORB hasn't changed you completely."

"And what do you mean by that?" Cagalli asked, her tone threatening.

Kira laughed uneasily, "Ha ha…oh I think I hear Yzak calling me. I-I'll see you later Cagalli!"

Kira disappeared off screen and Lacus laughed. Cagalli smiled. She missed her brother and Lacus.

"So what's the surprise, Lacus," Cagalli asked.

"Well," Lacus said and smiled, "Kira and I will be in ORB for the holidays."

Cagalli's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Both you and Kira?"

Lacus nodded. "Yeah, Kira and I have been planning it for months. It's been a while since we last seen each other."

Cagalli nodded and then her eyes widened again. "Oh no! Athrun!"

Lacus looked at Cagalli, confused and worried. "What about Athrun? Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Cagalli said and blushed lightly in embarrassment, "it's just…uh…"

Lacus looked at Cagalli and smiled.

"You forgot to get something for Athrun for Christmas, didn't you?" Lacus asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Cagalli said, embarrassed, "I completely forgot that Christmas is next week…and I still don't know what to get the guy…I don't want to get him just anything…"

"What did you have in mind?" Lacus asked.

Cagalli hesitated before continuing. This was so unlike her.

"I-I want to give him something from the heart…something special…something one of a kind…" Cagalli said and looked down, trying to hide her blush from Lacus.

Cagalli wasn't used to this romantic girly stuff, but for Athrun, she didn't mind. Lacus understood Cagalli's feelings.

"Why don't you try making him something," Lacus suggested, "like a sweater or a scarf?"

"Hey, that's a great idea," Cagalli said, "but…I don't have time to make him a sweater…Christmas is a week away…maybe a scarf? But I don't know how to make something like that…"

"I can teach you how to knit if you'd like, Cagalli," Lacus said and smiled.

"Would you really?" Cagalli asked, "thanks so much Lacus! When will you and Kira be arriving?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, I believe," Lacus said, "we can start your knitting project sometime tomorrow. All you need is some yarn and knitting needles."

"Guess I better go into town and look around…" Cagalli said and sighed, "it's going to be hell in the shops…"

Lacus laughed lightly, "Don't worry Cagalli, it'll be worth it."

"I sure hope so Lacus," Cagalli said with uncertainty, "I'll have your rooms set up tonight."

"Thanks Cagalli," Lacus said, "we'll see you and Athrun soon!"

The video screen went blank, leaving Cagalli alone with her thoughts.

_"Knitting shouldn't be too hard…if I can pilot a mobile suit and run a nation, this task should be a piece of cake! Yeah, I can do this."_

Cagalli smiled triumphantly at her resolution and left her office, heading to her room to gather her things for her excursion into town.

* * *

_Author's note: Well what do you think? It's a perfect xmas fic =) I do wonder how Cagalli's scarf is gonna come out. Unfortunately...I came up with this idea now and finally wrote the first part of this short fic. I can't guarantee that I'll finish this story by Christmas Day. But it will be worth the wait! _


	2. Let the Race Against Christmas Begin!

**Part 2: Let the Race Against Christmas Begin**

**December 18 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's room: 1230 H**

Cagalli quickly changed into something more casual; she figured that her representative outfit would draw some unwanted attention while she was in the city. She decided to wear a pair of dark blue skinny jeans paired with a loose fitting white sweater. She put on her dark brown trench coat and a pair of brown boots that came just below her knees. She loosely wrapped a green scarf around her neck and added a set of ear muffs over her head. Cagalli glanced at the mirror and smiled, satisfied with her outfit choice. She grabbed her bag and was about to head out of her room when she bumped into someone in front of her.

"S-sorry," she said as she looked up and her eyes widened, "A-Athrun?"

"Hey to you too," Athrun said and smiled.

She didn't expect Athrun to be outside her room. And he wasn't in his ORB admiral uniform either. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans with black shoes, paired with a green sweater with a black coat to complete the look. Cagalli looked at him and smiled, trying her best not to look suspicious.

"Heading out somewhere?" he asked.

"Y-yeah…" Cagalli replied, "did you need something?"

"Well…I was hoping we were going to have lunch together somewhere," Athrun said, "remember? We agreed earlier this morning that we would spend the rest of the day together since we got the whole afternoon off today."

_"Oh crap…I completely forgot about that…"_ Cagalli thought to herself, _"what am I going to do? I was going to go into town and look for some yarn…damn it. I can't say no…"_

Athrun's concerned voice interrupted Cagalli's thoughts.

"Cagalli? Is everything alright," Athrun asked, as he looked at her with those concerned eyes of his.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. Just exhausted from this morning's meeting, you know?" Cagalli said and gave him a reassuring smile, "where did you have in mind?"

Athrun smiled, glad that she hadn't forgot about their plans for today.

"You'll see," Athrun said and smiled, "are you ready? I came back here to see if you were back from your office."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Cagalli said, "shall we then?"

Athrun smiled and held out his hand and Cagalli placed her hand in his. They walked together to the front entrance of the estate and waited for Athrun's car to arrive. His car came in less than a minute and the driver got out, giving the keys to Athrun and bowed. Athrun thanked the man, and told him that he may leave now. Athrun held the front passenger door open.

"After you, my princess," he said as he bowed and gestured her in.

Cagalli laughed and allowed Athrun to help her in.

"Always being a gentleman," she said after she seated herself into the passenger seat, "you know I can do it myself."

Athrun smiled and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead; he closed the passenger door and walked around to the driver's side and settled himself into the driver's seat. He turned on the ignition and began driving into town.

* * *

**December 18 CE 75-Downtown ORB: 1300 H**

After 15 minutes of driving, they arrived in downtown. The street shops and boutiques were full of people shopping or browsing for Christmas gifts. Many of the cafés and restaurants were also full of people. Athrun parked the vehicle in front of a restaurant.

"Here we are," he said and turned to Cagalli, smiling, "hungry?"

"Starving," Cagalli replied and blushed as her stomach rumbled in agreement.

Athrun laughed and they both exited the car. Cagalli glanced up at the sign in front of the restaurant.

"A la Donair?" Cagalli asked and turned to Athrun, "when did ORB have a place like this?"

"It's relatively new," he replied and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling Cagalli closer to him, "I found it today as I was searching for a place to go for lunch. I know how much you love this food."

Cagalli smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. He sure knew how to make her happy. They walked into the restaurant, grabbed two menus and took a seat in one of the booths near the window. Their server came by and took their orders. Within 15 minutes, their order arrived. Cagalli ordered the beef kebab pita combo and Athrun had the lamb kebab flatbread combo.

"This looks so good," Cagalli said and grabbed the bottle of hot sauce, "hot sauce goes great with this."

"Does it?" Athrun asked, "I've always used yogurt sauce."

Cagalli shook her head and put some hot sauce on her pita. "This is definitely way better than yogurt sauce."

Athrun looked at the bottle of red sauce and decided to stick to his usual yogurt sauce. That hot sauce looked too spicy for him to handle. He put some yogurt sauce on his flatbread and was about to roll it up, but Cagalli added some hot sauce to his meal.

"There," Cagalli said, "that looks much better. Try it."

Athrun looked at Cagalli uncertainly and took a bite of his flatbread.

"Hmm…not bad," he said after swallowing, "the sweetness of the yogurt and the spiciness of the hot sauce complement each other perfectly. This hot sauce makes the lamb meat taste much better too."

Cagalli smirked triumphantly. "See? Didn't I tell you hot sauce is great with this dish?"

Athrun nodded in agreement and continued eating his meal. Cagalli began eating her meal, while at the same time, trying to figure out a plan to obtain some yarn.

_"How is this going to work…" _Cagalli thought as she slowly ate her pita, _"how can I distract Athrun long enough for me to get what I need, without him suspecting anything?"_

"Cagalli?" Athrun asked, snapping Cagalli out of her thoughts, "do you not like the food here?"

Cagalli looked at Athrun and shook her head. "Are you kidding? I love it!"

"But you don't look like you're enjoying it…" Athrun said, sadness evident in his voice.

"D-don't be silly Athrun!" Cagalli said and happily took a huge bite out of her pita, "I'm just savouring it. It's been a long time since I've had this."

"I see," Athrun said and smiled, "I'm glad."

They continued eating their meals and talked about this morning's topics at their respective meetings. Cagalli also told Athrun that Lacus had called her earlier to tell her that she and Kira were going to be in ORB for the holidays. Athrun was happy to hear that news; he was looking forward to seeing Kira and Lacus again. They both finished eating and Athrun paid for their bill. They decided to remain in the restaurant for a little bit and relax, before heading back out into the cold.

* * *

**December 18 CE 75-Downtown ORB: 1430 H**

Athrun and Cagalli wandered the streets of downtown ORB, walking in and out of random shops and boutiques; Cagalli had suggested that they should take a look at some shops and get some ideas for Christmas presents for Kira and Lacus. As they left another shop, they bumped into two familiar friends.

"Miriallia!" Cagalli exclaimed and gave her friend a hug, "and…Dearka? What are you doing here?"

"Hey," Dearka said, "Christmas shopping?"

"Yeah," Athrun said and looked at the two of them, "what are you doing here Dearka? Are you and Miriallia…back together?"

Miriallia and Dearka blushed. They didn't expect to be caught so soon.

Cagalli looked at her friend. "No way…really?"

"Y-yeah…" Miriallia replied and looked at Dearka, "we both talked about it and decided to give it another go."

Dearka nodded. Athrun and Cagalli smiled. They both knew how much Dearka and Miriallia missed each other. Cagalli suddenly got an idea and she grabbed Miriallia and pulled her away.

"H-hey! Wait a minute-" Miriallia started saying, but Cagalli cut her off.

"Shh.." Cagalli whispered, "help me out here? I'll explain later."

"Hey Cagalli!" Athrun shouted after her, "where are you two going?"

"Girl stuff!" Miriallia shouted back and winked at Cagalli.

Athrun started to follow, but Dearka pulled him back.

"Let them go," he said, "whenever girls say that, it means that we are not to intervene."

"B-but-" Athrun said, but Dearka cut him off.

"It'll be fine," Dearka reassured him, "she's with Milly. Come on, you can help me pick out a present for her. I could use your opinion."

Athrun sighed, "Alright…"

"We'll meet you two girls back here alright?" Dearka shouted.

Cagalli gave Dearka a wave, signalling that she heard him.

"Come on man," Dearka said and began walking in the opposite direction, "we'll be back."

Athrun glanced at Cagalli's distant figure down the street and followed Dearka. He couldn't help but feel suspicious about this.

_-Meanwhile…up the street in the opposite direction…-_

"Okay, Cagalli," Miriallia said and freed her arm from Cagalli's grasp, "tell me, what's going on?"

"Sorry about that…" Cagalli said, "I didn't mean to drag you away from Dearka like that, but I needed your help. It was the only way I can get away from Athrun for a few minutes…"

Miriallia looked at Cagalli suspiciously, "Continue…"

"Look…to make this simple…" Cagalli said slowly.

Miriallia looked at Cagalli, urging her to continue. Cagalli hesitated, but she knew Miriallia would have to know about her plan for Athrun's Christmas present if this was going to work.

"…I need to get yarn today so I can start on Athrun's scarf tomorrow," Cagalli quickly blurted.

Miriallia looked at Cagalli, shocked.

"Y-you mean…you're going to **knit**?" Miriallia asked incredulously.

Cagalli blushed in embarrassment and nodded.

"Wow…I didn't think you would do something like that…" Miriallia said in awe.

Cagalli glared at her friend. "Look. Are you going to help me or not?"

"You're so cute, Cagalli," Miriallia said and took her hands, "of course I'll help you. I know the perfect place to get what you need; it's just two shops up from here. Come on, we should hurry before the boys worry and follow us."

Cagalli nodded and followed her friend to the shop she was talking about. It was a short distance from where they were. They stepped into the shop and headed towards the knitting section. Cagalli looked at all the yarn that was available.

"That's…a lot to choose from…" Cagalli said as she picked up some green yarn, "I don't know which to get…"

"You know what Athrun looks best in," Miriallia said, "it's up to you."

"Yeah…" Cagalli said as she walked to another set of colors, "I think something neutral would be best; he can wear it with anything. And maybe something soft…"

"Can't go wrong with neutral colors," Miriallia said, while browsing a knitting book, "and soft would be a good idea. I wouldn't be happy with a rough, scratchy scarf around my neck."

Cagalli nodded in agreement and continued looking at the neutral colors that were available.

_"Would black be okay? But Athrun does have a lot of dark clothing…and white would easily get dirty. Grey is too plain and brown wouldn't look good with his current wardrobe…"_ Cagalli thought to herself as she looked at each of her options.

Her eyes then came across some yarn that was a mix of grey, black and white. She picked it up and examined it.

_"This doesn't look too bad. The scarf won't be too plain if I used this. And it's pretty soft…and it'll definitely keep him warm. Hopefully, it'll look okay if I used this…alright. I'm getting this one. Maybe I should get 2 rolls? One doesn't look like it's enough. And there isn't much of this yarn left anyways…maybe I'll get 3 rolls, just in case. Maybe I'll make use of the remainder someday in the future."_

"Okay Miriallia," Cagalli said, "I'm done. I'm going for this yarn."

Miriallia looked up from the book she was reading. "Good choice. I think that will work perfectly. But 3 rolls?"

Cagalli shrugged. "Just in case I screw up or something…there isn't much left after all."

"I guess you're right about that," Miriallia said and walked towards the knitting needles wall, "okay. Let's get some knitting needles."

Cagalli nodded and looked at the packaging around the yarn. "It says I'll need 9mm needles for this yarn. What does that mean?"

"It means you'll be needing these," Miriallia said and handed Cagalli the set of needles she needed.

"Wow…these are pretty…wide. Is this even right?" Cagalli asked.

Miriallia nodded. "This yarn is pretty thick. So it makes sense that you'll be needing thicker needles."

"Okay," Cagalli said.

"And here," Miriallia said and handed a knitting book to Cagalli, "this may come in handy for you. It's a beginner's guide to knitting."

"Thanks Miriallia," Cagalli said and smiled, "I'm glad my bag is big enough for all this."

Miriallia laughed. "Come on, let's pay for these and head back. The guys should be back by now."

Cagalli nodded and went to the cashier to pay for her items. They left the store and Cagalli put the things she bought into her bag. They went back down the street to meet the guys.

_-Meanwhile…in a jewellery store three stores down from where they left the girls…-_

"What do you think of this, Athrun?" Dearka asked his friend, "will Milly like it?"

Athrun looked at the object Dearka was holding. It was a silver bracelet with a few pink charms attached to it.

"I think she'll like it," Athrun replied.

"Yeah?" Dearka asked and he looked at the other bracelet he was holding, "maybe…or maybe she'll like this one…"

While Dearka was deciding on which bracelet he was going to buy, Athrun went and looked at some necklaces. He figured he may as well get some ideas for Cagalli's present while he was here. He browsed at the collections the store currently had. He found a few necklaces Cagalli might like, but his eyes were suddenly drawn to a golden heart-shaped locket in a nearby display.

"Miss," Athrun called out to the lady behind the counter, "I would like to take a look at this locket, please."

The saleswoman came and looked at Athrun; she was blushing lightly, obviously stunned by the good looking blue-haired young man in front of her. She took out the locket from the display and gave it to Athrun to examine it.

"That's an excellent choice, sir," she said, "this is a 24-carat gold locket; this chain is also 24-carat gold. This necklace makes an excellent accessory for those that wish to carry an important photo or item with them everywhere they go. Is it a gift for your girlfriend?"

Athrun blushed lightly and nodded. "Yes. Yes it is. Do you think it would be possible to engrave a message into the locket?"

"As long as it isn't too long, it's possible," the saleswoman replied, "what did you have in mind?"

Athrun thought for a minute and he came up with a perfect message that was short and sweet.

"I'd like it to say: _'Love you, always and forever. Athrun Z. & Cagalli Y. A.'_ Is that okay?" Athrun asked.

The saleslady's eyes widened, but then she smiled. She was talking to the man that's to be married to ORB's head representative. She should have recognized the blue-haired man.

"Yes, that is fine, Mr. Zala," the woman replied, "I'm sure Lady Cagalli will love it."

Athrun smiled. "Thank you. When will I be able to pick it up?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," she replied, "it will be ready then. Would you like to pay for it today or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow will be fine," Athrun said.

The woman nodded and went to help Dearka, who was ready to make his purchase. Once Dearka paid for his purchase, they both went back to meet the girls.

* * *

**December 18 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's room: 2100 H**

"Christmas shopping for Kira and Lacus is done!" Cagalli said as she lay down onto her bed, "I'm beat."

Athrun laughed and sat down beside her on her bed. She was right, Christmas shopping was done. He had already found the perfect gift for Cagalli and he knew exactly what to put in her locket. As for Kira and Lacus, they decided to get a baking set for Lacus and a year's worth of logic puzzle books for Kira. Cagalli figured that it'll take Kira a month to complete each book, given how tough the puzzles were. Athrun couldn't even figure out the puzzles.

"Want to head to bed early tonight? It's been a long day and Kira and Lacus will be here tomorrow," Cagalli said.

Athrun agreed. "Yeah, I'm beat as well."

"Alright, then I'll go get ready first and then you can after," Cagalli said, "that okay?"

Athrun nodded and Cagalli disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Athrun alone to his thoughts.

_"I wonder what those two were up to today…"_

Back in the bathroom, Cagalli was looking at her reflection in the mirror. She was proud of her accomplishments for today, but she was uncertain of the events to follow.

_"Alright, phase one is done. It was a close call, but I did it and got what I needed. Now the real work begins tomorrow…hopefully it'll go smoother than it did today…I've only got 6 days to complete this!"_

* * *

_ Author's note: Okay! The next part is finally done. It's kinda longer than I intended for this part…but who doesn't love more AsuCaga moments? Anyways, I hope everyone had a good Christmas and got lots of gifts. Stay tuned for Part 3! Hope you enjoyed reading this. Once again, I apologize for not getting this whole story done in time for Christmas…but it was my fault for starting this story so late…lol. Oh well, I'll still finish this. It's going to be interesting lol._


	3. Beginner's Luck

**Part 3: Beginner's Luck**

**December 19 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's Office: 0700H**

Cagalli woke up super early, just after 6:30 in the morning. It was a struggle for her to leave Athrun's arms, but she did her best to escape his grasp without waking him up. As much as she wanted to continue cuddling with him and sleep a little more before this morning's meeting, she wanted to start on the scarf a little bit before Lacus and Kira arrived later that afternoon. Since Miriallia picked the knitting book for her, Cagalli decided to make use of it. She was in her office now and she knew Athrun had no access to her office. It was the perfect place to work on her project undisturbed. Cagalli grabbed the knitting book she had brought with her and grabbed her knitting supplies. She opened the book and flipped to the page that illustrated and described knitting a scarf.

_"Oh? So it says that a scarf is perfect for beginners…this is going to be easy,"_ Cagalli thought and smirked.

She quickly scanned the instructions. Her smirk disappeared and was replaced with a frustrated frown.

_"Start by casting on 15-30 stitches, depending on the thickness of the yarn and how wide you want the scarf to be…How the hell do I cast on stitches?"_

Cagalli flipped to the back of the book and looked through the index. She found the pages that described how to cast on stitches. She sighed in relief.

"Thank god for the index pages…" Cagalli said.

She looked at the step-by-step instructions on how to cast on and the images provided for each step. She had no problem creating a slip knot. Her experience with the Desert Dawn Resistance during the first war had taught her plenty enough. Tying knots were something she got used to doing during that time. She placed the slip knot onto one of her needles and tightened it. She read the next step and looked at the accompanying picture. She followed the directions and successfully cast on one stitch. Cagalli smiled triumphantly and flipped back to the scarf instructions.

"This book is quite useful," she said, "okay, time to add the remaining stitches. It said to cast on 15-30 stitches depending on the thickness of the yarn and how wide I want the scarf to be…well, here it goes."

Cagalli cast on 15 stitches onto her needle and looked at the width of the scarf.

"Maybe a few more stitches…this looks like the scarf will be too narrow…" she said.

She cast on 10 more stitches for a total of 25 and decided that that was wide enough for the scarf. She cut off the excess yarn that was left from the slip knot and continued reading the scarf instructions.

"Knit the same number of stitches you cast on earlier. Be careful not to place the loops too close to the end of the needle(s)" she read, "knit…"

She glanced at the accompanying image that illustrated how to knit. She held the needle with the stitches in her left hand and held the other needle in her other hand. Being careful not to let the loops get too close to the end of the needle, she inserted the right needle through the first loop under the left needle. She then took the yarn and wrapped it over the right needle. She pulled that new loop through the loop on her left needle and successfully transferred a loop over to the right needle. She repeated the same process for the remaining loops until all loops from her left needle had been transferred to her right needle. She looked at her work and smiled.

"I successfully knitted one row! So that makes two rows done!" she said excitedly as she pumped her fist in the air in triumph.

She felt her yarn ball roll off her desk and felt something tug on her right needle. She looked in horror as she saw what had happened. Three loops had fallen off the needle. She groaned, but kept her composure. She looked at the clock on her desk and noticed it was 710 AM.

_"Well, it took me that long to cast on and create two rows…it shouldn't take me too long to do it again. Athrun won't be up for another 50 minutes. I've got some time to do it again and add more rows before I have to get back to my room,"_ she thought.

Cagalli undid her remaining stitches and proceeded to start knitting again.

* * *

**December 19 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's Room: 0730H**

Athrun stretched and groaned in his sleep. He rested his arm on Cagalli's side of the bed and felt strange. He opened his eyes and noticed that his sleeping beauty was not right next to him. He sat up and glanced at the clock on table. It was 7:30. Athrun yawned and rubbed the sleepiness in his eyes away.

_"I wonder where she could be at this hour…"_

Athrun got out of bed and proceeded to the balcony, hoping he would find her there. He opened the doors to the balcony and was welcomed by an ice cold breeze. Unfortunately, Cagalli wasn't present. He closed the balcony doors and frowned; he ruffled his midnight-blue hair in frustration.

_"Where is she…?"_ he thought to himself and then he figured out where she might be, _"maybe she's in her office. Sometimes, my little lioness works too hard."_

Before leaving the bedroom, he called the kitchen staff and asked them to begin preparing breakfast. He knew Cagalli would be hungry and he wanted breakfast to be ready when they arrived. Athrun then left the bedroom, but paused outside the door. Something didn't feel right to him. He glanced down and realized that he was shirtless.

"Can't have that now, can we?" he said to himself and chuckled as he envisioned his princess' blushing face when she sees him in his shirtless state. Then he cringed slightly as he pictured Cagalli yelling at him for walking around the estate like that. He shook his head.

_"Better put on something," _he thought and went back into the room.

Wearing his ORB admiral uniform, Athrun left the bedroom and proceeded to Cagalli's office.

* * *

**December 19 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's Office: 0740H**

Cagalli held up the incomplete scarf and smiled. During the last half hour, she managed to complete fifteen rows with no problems whatsoever. She was proud of her accomplishment. Cagalli glanced at the clock on her desk. It was 7:40. She put down her project gently on her desk and stretched her arms and hands.

"That was definitely needed. My hands are so sore…" she said and she stretched her hands and fingers some more.

Thinking she could knit a few more rows within the next ten minutes, Cagalli picked up her knitting project. She was about to place the needle into the first loop when she heard a knock on her door.

"Cagalli?" the voice called, "you in there?"

Cagalli's eyes widened. She knew who was at the door. Athrun wasn't supposed to be up for another twenty minutes. She decided to keep quiet, hoping Athrun would give up and go back to their room.

"Cagalli?" Athrun called again, but with more concern and worry in his voice.

Cagalli couldn't remain quiet anymore. She couldn't continue worrying her fiancé like that.

"Just a minute, Athrun," she called.

She carefully placed her scarf and knitting book into a secure drawer and locked it. She got up from her chair and went to open the door.

"Hey," she said, "sorry for worrying you, Athrun."

Athrun's eyes softened and he sighed with relief. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Cagalli blushed lightly.

"You had me worried there, Cagalli," he said.

"Sorry Athrun," Cagalli said, "I didn't mean to worry you like that."

Athrun released her from his arms and looked at her with a smile. "It's okay. I know you snuck out early so you can get a head start on today's agenda items for today's meeting."

Cagalli looked down guiltily, "Y-yeah…sorry for not telling you. I didn't want to wake you up."

Athrun smiled. Cagalli was too adorable. He kissed Cagalli's forehead and grabbed her hand.

"It's okay," he said and smiled, reassuring her that he was not mad or upset with her, "come on, we should go and have breakfast. I'm sure you must be starving."

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "I am hungry, but not starving."

"Says the woman who's stomach continuously rumbled last night," Athrun teased.

"T-that wasn't me!" Cagalli said angrily.

Her stomach rumbled and she blushed. Athrun looked at her, smirking.

"Don't look at me like that!" Cagalli said sternly and her stomach rumbled again. She held her stomach in embarrassment.

Athrun laughed and grabbed her hand again.

"Come on," he said and pulled her down the hallway, "let's go fill my princess' stomach."

"A-Athrun!" Cagalli said angrily, trying to hide her embarrassment.

However, Cagalli followed Athrun obediently to the dining hall, where breakfast was awaiting them.

* * *

**December 19 CE 75-ORB Union main spaceport: 1300H**

Athrun and Cagalli went straight to the spaceport after their meeting. It took Cagalli a lot of effort to dissuade the parliament officials from sending more bodyguards than she needed. She assured them that Admiral Zala, a.k.a. Athrun, was more than capable of being her bodyguard.

"You know, I don't need a bodyguard to escort me everywhere I go," Cagalli said as they waited for Kira and Lacus to arrive.

Athrun chuckled. "You know they only want you to be safe. You're the head of a great nation after all."

Cagalli sighed. "Do they not remember what I'm capable of doing? I mean, I'm the Goddess of Victory for crying out loud. I can do anything."

Athrun laughed again and put an arm over her shoulder, pulling Cagalli closer to him. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Athrun and Cagalli continued talking; they did not notice that the shuttle had docked. A pink haired woman came out of the shuttle. She glanced at her brown haired companion behind her and smiled. He smiled back at her as he searched for his best friend and twin sister. He spotted them in no time. It wasn't difficult to find someone with blue hair.

"Athrun! Cagalli!" he called.

Cagalli and Athrun looked in the direction where they heard the voice. Cagalli smiled widely and she ran towards the owner of the voice, with Athrun following behind her.

"Kira!" Cagalli said happily and hugged her brother.

"Hey Cagalli," Kira said as he returned the hug, "I've come back."

"For now anyways," Lacus giggled as she approached the twins.

Cagalli released her brother and went to hug Lacus next. "It's been a while Lacus."

"It has indeed," Lacus replied after hugging Cagalli back.

"Lacus, Kira," Athrun said as he approached the three.

"Hello Athrun," Lacus said and smiled, "it's nice to see you again."

"How was your trip?" Athrun asked.

"It was wonderful," Lacus replied, "everyone was so kind and helpful."

"That's good to hear," Athrun said, "you guys hungry? Cagalli and I haven't eaten lunch yet, and I'm sure you two haven't either."

"Lunch sounds good," Kira said and Lacus nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then it's settled," Cagalli said, "let's go eat. We can catch up on everything too."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. The four friends left the spaceport and headed back to Cagalli's mansion for lunch.

* * *

**December 19 CE 75-ORB Central Park: 1430H**

After lunch, the four friends decided to go skating in ORB Central Park. Cagalli didn't want to waste any more time and wanted to talk to Lacus about Athrun's scarf, but she decided that it could wait. Upon hearing that it was also Athrun's first time ice skating, Cagalli didn't want to miss that opportunity either. Kira and Lacus were already on the ice, holding hands and skating across the lake together. Cagalli watched as Lacus spun around on the ice gracefully; Lacus really did look like a princess on ice.

"I didn't know Lacus could ice skate…" Cagalli said in awe, "I heard the PLANTs wasn't cold enough for ice."

Athrun chuckled, "Lacus used to come to ORB with her father when he had some political business to attend to in ORB during the winter months. During their breaks, they would come here to skate.

"I see," Cagalli said as she finished tying her last skate, "you ready Athrun?"

"I think so," Athrun said as he stood up and walked slowly towards Cagalli, trying his best not to lose his balance and fall down. It took him a few minutes to adjust to these shoes and remain balanced. They were certainly different.

"Is this how these shoes are supposed to be Cagalli?" Athrun asked, unsure, "standing on a single metal blade like this?"

Cagalli looked at Athrun and laughed lightly. "Yes Athrun, this is how skates are designed. How else are you to move across ice like that?"

Cagalli led Athrun to the edge of the frozen lake. She glided onto the ice and turned around, facing Athrun again.

"You coming?" Cagalli asked.

Athrun looked hesitant. "You sure the ice is sturdy enough? These blades won't cut and break the ice?"

Cagalli put her hands on her hips and gave him an impatient look, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. She stomped on the ice, hard. Athrun looked at her.

"Look, the ice is fine Athrun," Cagalli said and smiled reassuringly, "for a Coordinator, you sure don't feel confident about your abilities do you?"

Athrun blushed lightly. Cagalli held out her hand.

"Come on, it'll be fine," Cagalli said and smiled.

Athrun took her hand and slowly stepped onto the ice. Skating backwards, Cagalli pulled Athrun across the lake, allowing him to glide and feel more comfortable on the ice.

"Hey," Athrun said excitedly, "this is pretty fun!"

Cagalli smiled. "Do you feel more comfortable now?"

Athrun nodded. He was enjoying this. He loved the feeling of sliding across the ice, while the cold winter breeze blew against him. It was exhilarating. He listened as Cagalli explained how she learned to skate.

"When I was younger, my father taught me how to skate," she said, "he told me it was like walking. You just walk on the ice and gradually increase your strides by gliding like this."

Athrun watched as Cagalli demonstrated what her father had taught her. Skating didn't look that difficult after watching Kira and Lacus skate around the lake a couple of times. He was certain he could skate fine. However, given it was Athrun's first time skating, he didn't want to be too confident and end up falling on his butt and embarrass himself in front of Cagalli. He decided to start from the basics.

"…and with time, you'll be able to skate more smoothly and confidently," Cagalli said after skating back towards Athrun. She held out her hands to Athrun and asked "want to give it a try?"

Athrun nodded and he took Cagalli's hands. He took a step forward and began walking on the ice. Cagalli skated backwards holding his hands, trying her best to match her pace with Athrun's. Athrun gradually increased his strides and began gliding and before he knew it, he was skating.

"As expected from a Coordinator," Cagalli said nonchalantly, "you guys learn fast. It took me a lot of practice to be able to skate properly…"

"Sorry for being a Coordinator," Athrun said sarcastically and chuckled.

Cagalli laughed. "It's okay. I don't mind you being a Coordinator. Coordinator or not, you're still Athrun Zala to me."

Athrun smiled and kissed Cagalli on her cheek. "Thanks Cagalli."

Cagalli smiled. She skated beside him and took his hand. "Come on. I think you're ready for a few laps around the lake."

The two of them went off and skated around the lake. Cagalli waved at Kira and Lacus as she and Athrun passed by the Coordinator couple. Feeling confident that Athrun was ready for the next challenge, she turned to look at him, smirking.

"What's with that look?" Athrun asked as he continued skating.

"Race you to the other end of the lake," Cagalli said quickly as she quickly skated away from the blue-haired Coordinator.

"You cheater!" Athrun shouted as he attempted to catch up to the blonde.

Within minutes, Athrun managed to catch up to Cagalli. Athrun faced Cagalli and winked. Cagalli's heart skipped a beat.

_"Athrun…don't do that to me…"_ Cagalli thought as she tried to calm her racing heart.

Before she knew it, Athrun was ahead of her. Cagalli frowned.

"Athrun, you cheater!" she shouted.

Athrun turned around and playfully stuck his tongue out at her. "You started it!"

Cagalli frowned more, but then her eyes widened and she stopped skating.

"Athrun!" Cagalli shouted, "look out!"

Athrun turned around. He was nearing the edge of the lake and he didn't know how to stop, especially at the speed he was going. He tripped on the mound of snow piled up at the edge of the lake and fell, face first, into the cold and soft snow.

"Athrun!" Cagalli shouted worriedly and skated towards him as quick as she could.

Athrun groaned and pushed himself off the snow. He wiped the snow off his face and flipped onto his back, closing his eyes. Cagalli went up to him and looked at him, worried.

"Athrun…" Cagalli asked, concerned, "are you okay?"

Athrun grabbed Cagalli's arm and pulled her down on top of him. Now they were both lying in the snow.

"Now I'm okay," Athrun said as he held her tight.

Cagalli blushed as she looked at him. "A-Athrun…what are you-?"

Athrun shushed Cagalli by covering her lips with his. Cagalli reciprocated his kiss by deepening it further. The couple was lost in their own world until they heard someone clearing their throat. Athrun and Cagalli pulled apart quickly and looked in the direction of the sound. Kira was standing behind them, looking slightly annoyed. Lacus was standing beside him, laughly softly to herself.

"Hello Athrun," Kira said calmly, "would you please release my sister and come with me?"

Athrun gulped and let Cagalli go. Cagalli helped him up and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, telling him that Kira won't do anything to hurt him. Athrun nodded and gave Cagalli a quick peck on her cheek and followed Kira off the ice. Lacus went to Cagalli and shook her head.

"That Kira…" she said and sighed, "he should know by now that Athrun wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"He knows," Cagalli said and laughed, "he's just being an overprotective brother. You know, to make up for the years we've been separated."

Lacus laughed softly. "You may be right about that, Cagalli."

The two women headed off the ice and went to check up on the men, mainly to ensure that Kira hadn't killed Athrun yet.

* * *

**December 19 CE 75-Athha Estate, Guest Room: 2030H**

Cagalli collapsed onto Lacus' bed and sighed.

"I'm beat," Cagalli said, but smiled, "today sure was fun."

Lacus smiled and she continued to unpack her things. "It was very enjoyable indeed."

"Too bad it's back to work tomorrow," Cagalli said and sighed.

"The country can't run itself, Cagalli," Lacus said sternly, but then smiled, "by the way, have you begun working on the scarf?"

Cagalli smirked. "I thought you'd never ask."

She grabbed her bag near the bed and gently removed her project. Lacus clapped her hands in excitement.

"Oh that's wonderful, Cagalli!" Lacus exclaimed excitedly, "did you do all that by yourself?"

"With the help of a book, but yeah, I did do all this by myself," Cagalli replied proudly.

"That's good to hear," Lacus said and smiled, "I guess you won't be requiring my assistance anymore."

"Oh don't worry, Lacus," Cagalli said, "I'll most likely need your help sometime down the road."

"But can you get it done in time for Christmas?" Lacus asked, "you are aware that there are six days left before Christmas."

"I'll be fine," Cagalli reassured her pink-haired friend, "if I can handle the daily stresses of running a nation, I can handle a simple scarf."

"If you are sure," Lacus said, "but if you need anything, don't hesitate in asking me."

"I won't," Cagalli replied and smiled, "come on, let's get the guys and go grab some dessert before we call it a night."

Lacus nodded and followed Cagalli out of the guest room and stood in front of Cagalli's room. Cagalli knocked on the door.

"Athrun! Kira!" Cagalli called.

"Just a second!" she heard her brother call out.

Minutes later, Kira opened door, with Athrun standing behind him.

"What's up?" Kira asked.

"Lacus and I are going to get some dessert. You guys want some too?" Cagalli asked.

Kira looked at Athrun and Athrun nodded.

"Sure," Kira replied as he stepped out of the room, with Athrun following.

The four friends then headed downstairs to the kitchen for some after-dinner dessert.

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_And…that's it! So sorry for the late update on this fic. I had most of this chapter done, but I just kept on neglecting it…but it's finally up! Please read and review =) I'll be updating the next part in "A Brand New Start" soon, so look forward to that! Until the next update =D (hopefully, I can get this story complete in time for Christmas this year…)_


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